John Green’s young-adult novels are once again appearing among the books targeted by bans and removals in US schools and libraries. Looking for Alaska, published in France as Qui es-tu Alaska ?, has been repeatedly challenged because it includes a brief sexual scene between teenagers. His bestseller The Fault in Our Stars, a love story about two teenagers with cancer, has also faced recurring restrictions.
According to the latest report from PEN America, released on October 6, 7,370 titles were banned in different parts of the United States during the 2025-2026 academic year. Most were young-adult novels. Florida and Texas recorded particularly high numbers of restrictions.
The reasons cited include violence, references to death, LGBTQ+ characters, transgressive stories and themes considered too political, including racism and feminism. The figure represents a sharp increase from the 3,743 titles recorded by PEN America the previous year, amid Donald Trump’s return to power and the adoption of new local laws.
Green, 49, discussed the issue in Los Angeles while presenting his new novel, Hollywood, Ending, which is scheduled for publication in France in January 2027. The writer has sold more than 60 million books worldwide, including 28 million copies of The Fault in Our Stars, according to his US publisher, Penguin Random House.
He said he had never expected to live in a country where the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of expression would be challenged in this way. Green also described efforts to control which speech is permitted as frightening.
Sources: Le Monde International.